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Administrative Region : Thessaly
Regional unit : Karditsa

Lake Plastiras from Space

The Plastiras Dam and Lake Plastiras in Karditsa supply water to the plains and the central part of Greece.

The most famous person from the Agrafa and the driving force behind modernization was General Nikolaos Plastiras. It was General Plastiras' vision to create a hydroelectric dam in the region so that nearly all of mainland Greece, excluding the Peloponese, would be supplied with electricity, particularly the many fractured villages and rural communities. A spin-off from this project was the mass irrigation system developed to supply the farmers in the plains of Thessaly with water and increase the yields of cash crops such as cotton. Construction began during the peaceful era of the 1950s after World War II and the Greek Civil War. Once completed General Plastiras' hydroelectric dam propelled the Greek nation into the modern era. The majority of the workers on this project were Agrafiotes themselves. As a result of their years of dedication and sacrifice to the project, the residents of the region enjoy free water up until this day. The Agrafa, originally one of the poorest and most isolated regions of Greece, is quickly becoming a hot tourist destination, as the area's beauty is reminscent of the Alps of Austria and Switzerland.